If you’re a regular listener of The Swirl and Sip Podcast, then you have heard me talk all about how I felt during my pregnancy. My overall view on parenthood is probably a little different than most. Becoming a mom is not something I had strong feelings. When I got pregnant, it was definitely an adjustment in my thinking.
Unlike a lot of women, I never really had the strong pull to be a mother. As soon as the hubs and I got married, we were jet-setting around the world. We went on a Caribbean island hopping honeymoon and I spent my 30th birthday in Greece. I was pretty comfortable with the idea of not having any kids. I remember even telling the hubs that if kids weren’t in our future, I was perfectly okay with traveling the world with him. During our Greece trip, I stopped taking my birth control and a little over 3 months later, I was pregnant.
I realized I was pregnant very early – at around 4 weeks. My first thought was “Oh shit, we’re gonna have a baby”. I knew we were financially and emotionally ready, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the changes that my body was about to go through. Even though we had been together close to 14 years at that point, we had only been married for less than a year. I was just getting comfortable with what married life looked like for us.
I’m one of those women who didn’t enjoy being pregnant. For me, it was a very out-of-body experience. I felt that the pregnancy was happening to me versus being something I was experiencing. As my belly grew, I became very uncomfortable. Towards the end I was even able to work from home for the last month because of the pain in my back and ankles.
Ultimately though, while I didn’t enjoy my pregnancy, I’m thankful that I had a fairly easy one. I was lucky enough to not have any morning sickness or any complications. It’s okay if your first thought about your pregnancy isn’t joy. We’re human and having a baby changes so much. There are so many thoughts that run through your head when that stick shows two lines that it can be a lot to adjust to. My biggest piece of advice – take it one day at a time. And know that you (and your body) are doing an amazing thing!
[…] you probably heard our conversation about learning our parenting style. When I found out I was becoming a mom, I had some ideas on how I would parent. But more in the “Pinterest mom” way and less […]